Joint source/channel coding of scalable video over noisy channels

We propose an optimal bit allocation strategy for a joint source/channel video codec over noisy channel when the channel state is assumed to be known. Our approach is to partition source and channel coding bits in such a way that the expected distortion is minimized. The particular source coding algorithm we use is rate scalable and is based on 3D subband coding with multi-rate quantization. We show that using this strategy, transmission of video over very noisy channels still renders acceptable visual quality, and outperforms schemes that use equal error protection only. The flexibility of the algorithm also permits the bit allocation to be selected optimally when the channel state is in the form of a probability distribution instead of a deterministic state